What are Deacons?
When we look at the church established in the New Testament we recognize two scriptural officers that are given to the church. The first being elders (which we also call pastors, overseers, or shepherds) and deacons. The elders are to be the primary spiritual leaders within the church, teaching God’s word, and shepherding those in their care.
What are deacons and what do they do? The type of work is seen well in Acts 6. This is very early in the history of the church and the number of followers of Jesus had grown considerably. Among the people of the church an argument began between 2 groups of widows over the distribution of food. The apostles (I think rightfully we could think in terms of elders) were having to take time from the preaching and teaching of God’s word to handle this ministry of food distribution. So they suggested the appointing of seven people who could serve this need, and free the apostles to have more time in prayer and the ministry of the word.
Beginning this next month our church is beginning a new training cohort for deacons. By the end, Lord willing, we desire to see the first formal deacons installed at King’s Hill. To be clear, I think we already have a lot of people in our church that are serving in deacon type roles now. This will be a step where we as a church formally recognize a number of individuals that are equipped and given a charge to serve within our midst. As we move towards having a diaconate at King’s Hill I want to provide a few categories that explain what deacons do.
1. Spotting and Meeting Tangible Needs
In Acts 6 the tangible need that needed to be met was the feeding of widows. Showing Christ’s love to those with great need should be an indicator of the church’s faith in Christ (James 1:27). But, if the apostles devoted so much of their time to that need, it would take them away from providing spiritual leadership. If they do it could be a decision that would have a devastating effect on the church.
It’s to the practical meeting of needs that have led deacons throughout church history to have a large emphasis on mercy ministries, ministries that particularly care for the poor and vulnerable. By meeting the practical needs of those suffering, disadvantaged, or distressed people experience the love of Jesus. Matt Smethurst concludes, “in caring for the needs of the poor, deacons remove barriers to congregational joy.”
A healthy diaconate would also be skilled as anticipating future needs and brainstorming creative solutions. Addressing current and future needs protects the work of the elders and ensures that the church remains focused on its mission.
2. Protecting and Promoting Church Unity
The widows in Acts 6 represented two different groups, those who were Greek-speaking and those who were Hebrew. If one group continued to feel marginalized then the unity of the church was at risk. No doubt both sides had legitimate arguments to how they felt they should be cared for, but now it was the seven men chosen that would seek unity between the two sides.
The most helpful illustration is that of a shock-absorber. If you’ve spent any time driving the streets of Boston and New England you know that pot holes and construction have torn up our streets. But I’m so thankful that the shocks of cars take the brunt of the load. When you hit a bump in the road the shock compresses, leaving the cabin of the vehicle significantly less moved. Without shocks, the car itself could be significantly damaged with every bump in the road.
And so it is with deacons. As “shock-absorbers” they address the bumps or holes in the journey of the church, in order that the church can continue on its mission. When needs arrive, their service lessens the impact on the church.
3. Serving and Supporting the Ministry of the Elders
If we were to only look at Acts 6 then we could incorrectly conclude that deacons should just handle mercy ministries. A deacons ministry could be so much more, but it certainly isn’t less than mercy ministry. There are many needs in a church that would distract elders from the ministry of the Word. Deacons help serve any of those needs. At the same time, Ephesians 4:12 shares how the elders were to “equip the saints for the works of ministry.” That is the whole church serves.
Thus in a very real sense, the ministries of the elders and the deacons are linked together. Jamie Dunlop helps to provide this framework:
Elders lead ministry
Deacons facilitate ministry
The congregation does ministry
This idea has led multiple authors to note that elders serve by leading, and deacons lead by serving. Both lead and serve in the church but in different ways. In this sense the deacons serve in a way that supports the ministry of the elders, and facilitates it to the rest of the church.
As you can see, deacons serve a vital ministry in the church as they meet tangible needs, promote church unity, and assist and support the elders. I’m excited for this first cohort of deacon candidates and the ways that they will serve King’s Hill in these ways. Pray for those training for this role this year, and for our church as a whole as we move towards the day of having both elders and deacons at King’s Hill.
* Much of this material was from Matt Smethurst, Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church. 2021. Crossway. In the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series.
